Kaitlin Bennett (left), a conservative social media personality, speaks with UCF’s Sunrise President Angelina Orengo (middle), senior political science and international relations double major and Cameron Driggers (right), UCF alum and executive director of Florida Youth in Action, at Sunrise UCF’s walkout at Memory Mall on Friday.
Paige Bright
A student organization hosted a walkout on Friday at noon at Memory Mall, protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement cooperation on campus and the lack of knowledge about where tuition money goes, as well as advocating that professors be given raises.
Sunrise UCF was providing attendees the option to sign a petition in favor of these causes, to be sent in a letter to President Alexander Cartwright.
Along with the petition, a memorial was put in place for people who have been killed by ICE agents. The walkout also offered students free pizza, drinks and a free-to-all clothing drive.
Several other organizations and RSOs were in attendance at the protest, including UCF’s chapter of Turning Point USA.
Sunrise UCF’s memorial for victims of ICE displays a sign with information about the memorial and clothes symbolizing the victims and their flags, during its walkout at Memory Mall on Friday.
Paige Bright
“It took months of planning, years of training with national organizations like Sunrise Movement, Campus Climate Network, Youth in Action Fund, which is also based in Florida,” Sunrise UCF President Angelina Orengo, senior political science and international relations major, said. “We even worked with the United States Student Association. We worked at the NAACP, we were with so many different organizations for the planning, for the logistics.”
Sunrise UCF has held similar events to the walkout on campus, including an anti-ICE rally and a teach-in to build support for Friday’s walkout. The goal is to protect students, invest university funds in education and hold UCF accountable to a more sustainable future.
Goals from Friday’s walkout include removing UCF from the 287(g) program, which allows ICE to work with state and local law enforcement, and making UCF a safe–haven campus. Definitions of what “safe haven” means vary by state, yet most don’t allow federal immigration agents on campus without a warrant or court order, protecting undocumented students from being detained on campus.
“Alongside the goals we’re seeking, our three demands, we’re also hoping that this resource fair can also just build a sense of community and open the same thing that the No Kings protests kind of do,” Nicole Guili, a member of Sunrise UCF, said at the protest. “We’re hoping that by bringing more people together, we can foster better and more effective change.”
Members of UCF’s chapter of Turning Point USA stand in front of Sunrise UCF’s victims of ICE memorial, with a sign that reads: “I support ICE. Ask me anything” at Memory Mall on Friday.
Paige Bright
Organizations outside of UCF, such as Youth in Action, Young Democratic Socialists of America, Engage Florida and Socialist Alternative were in attendance at the walkout, recruiting new members and pushing to spread Sunrise UCF’s cause.
Landen Looker, a member of Youth in Action and a University of North Florida student, has worked alongside Sunrise before and was at the protest.
“I think there’s so much energy with No King’s Day, and that’s good energy, but it needs to be funneled into something that genuinely makes real change,” Looker said. “I think actions like this of noncooperation and a peaceful, nice manner are the best way to show that we stand with unions, and that we can make real change.”
Members of Socialist Alternative were also in attendance, supporting the labor movement and Sunrise UCF.
“I think that the student movement and the labor movement are two sides of the same coin,” Izzy Coventry, a UCF alumnus and member of Socialist Alternative, said. “Students end up going into the labor movement, and students are in a unique position where they can kind of coordinate with the labor movement to break through some of the hesitancy that workers feel around striking or taking action.”
Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit organization, was also present at the walkout. Kaitlin Bennett, a former president of the Turning Point Kent State chapter, was also at the walkout, debating attendees and organizers on ICE and immigration. Bennett has attended UCF before for other protests and walkouts.
Several other students were seen walking around with signs reading, “I Support ICE, ask me anything,” debating with attendees their stance on ICE. Orengo was upset to find them standing in front of the memorial for victims of ICE, with the youngest victim being 11 months old.
“I think it’s ironic that you stand with an organization that would willingly kill an 11-month-old and not even apologize, and to excuse it as they’re illegal, they’re murderers, they’re rapists, they’re monsters,” Orengo said. “It’s very upsetting that they decided to be right there, especially Kaitlin Bennett. She is selectively videotaping herself and somebody else, not videotaping the memorial that is literally right next to her.”
A sign placed at the Sunrise UCF tabling displays a photo of Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old boy from Texas who was detained by ICE alongside his father in late January of this year, during Sunrise’s walkout at Memory Mall on Friday.
Paige Bright
The memorial, a collection of clothing that symbolizes the victims and flags showing the different countries from which these victims were from, is a push for students to act, Orengo said.
“I think, especially in Florida, we have selective ignorance,” Orengo said. “Ignorance is bliss, but when you look, and you see 53 victims, men and women, 11 months to 53 years old, it really puts into perspective just how many people have died.”
Standing in support of the removal of ICE from campus is a goal that is important now more than ever for Sunrise UCF, as the Supreme Court is currently in the process of discussing Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship.
“My ancestors are Taino natives of Puerto Rico,” Orengo said. “Am I not a citizen? Because we were there first, from before this country was even created.”
“It’s really just to put into perspective how this could be anyone, and to remind people that just because it’s not happening right in front of you doesn’t mean it’s not happening at all,” Orengo added.